Feminism: Women helping other women ease burdens

News reports have been following a new law in Afghanistan over the past weeks. This law would apply to the country’s Shia minority. One section of the law would allegedly make it illegal for women to refuse to have sex with their husbands. Further, it seemingly forbids women from leaving home without their husbands’ permission. It is best summarized on www.womensnet.org.za that states, “The law regulates personal matters like marriage, divorce, inheritance, and sexual relations among Afghanistan’s minority Shia community.” Perhaps most shocking to reporters is that the law is supported and being pushed through by President Hamid Karzai.

As a woman and a feminist, it would seem my outrage should be immediate and unquestionable. But, being who I am, I never just take things at face value. I did a little research. Apparently, the Shia make up about 10 per cent of the population in Afghanistan. President Karzai is facing an election this summer, and it is the opinion of many that he is doing whatever he can to gather support from all factions (http://news.bbc.co.uk). Soraya Sobhrang is with the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. She notes that family law for the Sunni (90 per cent of the population) is also being drawn up, and she worries that women’s rights may be further compromised (http://news.bbc.co.uk). Women in politics in Afghanistan echo these concerns. Woman MP Shinkai Karokhail is quoted as saying “There are moderate views among the Shia, but unfortunately our MPs, the people who draft the laws, rely on extremists” (www.womensnet.org.za).

I recently heard a woman talk on the topic of feminism. She said that feminism is the empowering and support of women to each other. That struck a chord in me. She said that, in literal terms, if a woman was across the street and had too many bags to carry, a feminist would go to that woman and ease her burden by sharing the amount of bags that needed to be carried. That is the position I hope western feminists and government agencies take with this situation in Afghanistan. We are there to help, to support, and to empower the women’s rights organizations that already exist in the Middle East. We need to ease the burden the women are facing in that country, but we do not take all the bags from them or the fight becomes about us.

Something to think about… *****

The views expressed in this column are those of the author, and are not necessarily those of this paper or any other community organization.